Technical writing · Fees

Clear starting points for serious technical writing.

Most work is quoted as a fixed project. A technical article starts at €1,200, an interview-led case study at €1,500, a white paper or technical report at €4,000, and a focused documentation sprint at €3,500.

These are starting points and working ranges, all in EUR—not market averages. I work worldwide, and your bank or payment provider may convert the amount into your local currency at its current rate. I confirm the scope after seeing the source material, reviewers, deadline, and publication requirements.

Project guide · EUR

Choose the format that matches the asset.

A defined deliverable ties the fee to an asset, an evidence standard, and a controlled review path. The range reflects projects I can take on directly; it is not a promise that every brief fits inside it.

Technical writing services, starting fees, common ranges, and indicative schedules in EUR.
DeliverableStarts atTypical rangeIndicative schedule
Technical article €1,200 €1,200€1,800 2–3 weeks
Interview-led case study €1,500 €1,500€2,400 2–4 weeks
White paper or technical report €4,000 €4,000€8,000 4–8 weeks
Documentation sprint €3,500 €3,500€7,500 2–6 weeks
Existing-content refresh €650 €650€1,200 1–2 weeks
Ongoing technical publishing €4,500/month €4,500€7,500/month Monthly

What’s included

The work around the words is part of the work.

The proposal names the deliverable, assumptions, source access, reviewers, revision rounds, and publication work. A standard project normally includes:

  1. 01

    Research and source review

    I read the available product notes, code, documentation, public sources, or prior drafts before deciding what the piece can responsibly say.

  2. 02

    Expert interviews

    When the knowledge sits with the team, I prepare and run focused interviews, then take uncertain claims back for verification.

  3. 03

    Outline and argument

    I agree the reader, the central question, the evidence, and the structure before a long draft makes changes expensive.

  4. 04

    Writing and technical review

    The project includes a defined review process and revision rounds, with one accountable technical reviewer whenever possible.

  5. 05

    Publication preparation

    Metadata, links, diagrams, CMS entry, or documentation structure can be included when they are named in the scope.

What changes the quote

Length matters less than access, uncertainty, and review.

A short case study based on three interviews can require more judgment than a long explainer built from clean source material.

01

Source condition

A current repository, organised notes, and available experts reduce discovery time. Contradictory or incomplete material increases it.

02

Technical depth

Running code, checking APIs, reproducing a workflow, or reviewing architecture requires more work than editing an established explanation.

03

Evidence and visuals

Original data, charts, diagrams, screenshots, citations, and fact checking are scoped explicitly.

04

Review path

One technical reviewer is efficient. Legal review, security review, or several decision-makers need more time and coordination.

05

Rights and confidentiality

Ghostwriting, work-for-hire terms, an NDA, or a no-byline project can affect the fee and the material I am able to show later.

06

Delivery and deadline

CMS publishing, design coordination, localization, distribution support, or a compressed schedule are priced as additional production work.

Representative scopes

What each starting point is designed to create.

Article · from €1,200

One useful argument, properly researched.

A focused technical article for a defined reader, based on available sources and up to two expert interviews.

  • Research and source notes
  • Outline before drafting
  • One complete draft
  • Two revision rounds
  • Metadata and link recommendations
Discuss a writing project

Case study · from €1,500

A customer or project story that survives fact checking.

An interview-led case study that explains the problem, constraints, decisions, and supported result without manufacturing a cleaner story than the evidence allows.

  • Interview preparation
  • Up to three interviews
  • Evidence and quote check
  • Narrative draft
  • Two revision rounds
Discuss a writing project

Report · from €4,000

A substantial source asset, not a long sales page.

A white paper or technical report built from research, interviews, and a clear point of view for technical and commercial readers.

  • Research plan
  • Source synthesis
  • Detailed outline
  • Long-form manuscript
  • Tables or diagram briefs
  • Two revision rounds
Discuss a writing project

Documentation · from €3,500

A bounded documentation problem solved in a sprint.

A focused block of product or developer documentation, with the information architecture and acceptance criteria agreed before production.

  • Content and gap audit
  • Reader task map
  • Representative pages
  • Review and revision
  • Handover notes
Discuss a writing project

Ways to work together

Fixed scope first. Retainers when continuity genuinely helps.

Fixed project
Best for a defined article, case study, report, or documentation sprint. The proposal gives both sides a clear finish line.
Monthly publishing
Useful when a team has reliable access to experts and a real publishing cadence. It starts at €4,500 per month.
Hourly work
Reserved for uncertain audits, workshops, or support that cannot sensibly be defined in advance. I do not use hourly billing to hide an unclear scope.
Per-word billing
Usually the wrong measure. Research, interviews, examples, diagrams, and review determine the work more than the final word count.

Boundaries

What the quote does not quietly promise.

Unless a proposal says otherwise, the fee does not include paid distribution, media placement, guaranteed backlinks, guaranteed rankings, translation, custom visual design, or unlimited revisions. I can support publication and outreach preparation, but no credible writer can guarantee editorial coverage or search performance.

FAQ

Technical writing fees and scope

What do freelance technical-writing projects start at?

Fixed projects currently start at €650 for a focused content refresh, €1,200 for a technical article, €1,500 for an interview-led case study, €3,500 for a documentation sprint, and €4,000 for a white paper or technical report. The final proposal depends on sources, depth, interviews, review, and production work.

Why quote by project instead of by word?

Word count does not measure research, technical checking, interviews, diagrams, or review. A fixed project connects the fee to a defined deliverable, assumptions, and acceptance criteria.

What does a technical article start at?

A focused article starts at €1,200. The typical range is €1,200€1,800 when the source material is available, the reader is defined, and the project has a controlled review path.

What does an interview-led case study start at?

A case study starts at €1,500, with a typical range of €1,500€2,400. The number of interviews, evidence checks, approvals, and confidentiality requirements have the largest effect.

What does a white paper or technical report start at?

A white paper or technical report starts at €4,000. Research-heavy projects with original data, several interviews, diagrams, or multiple review groups commonly range from €4,000 to €8,000.

What does API or product documentation start at?

A focused documentation sprint starts at €3,500. The useful unit is a bounded reader problem or documentation area, not an unlimited promise to document an entire product.

What usually increases the quote?

Incomplete sources, deep product testing, extra interviews, original data, diagrams, legal or security review, several stakeholders, localization, CMS production, and urgent deadlines all add work.

How many revision rounds are included?

Two revision rounds are included in the representative starting scopes. The proposal names the reviewers and explains how new evidence or a changed brief is handled.

Can you work under an NDA or without a byline?

Yes. Confidential and ghostwritten work is possible. The proposal will state the rights, attribution, access controls, and whether I can describe any part of the work later.

Do you use AI in the writing process?

I may use AI for bounded research support, transcription, corpus inspection, formatting, or editorial checks when the material and confidentiality terms allow it. I remain responsible for sources, claims, structure, and final editorial judgment.

Can you publish directly in our CMS?

Yes, when access and publishing requirements are agreed in advance. CMS entry, internal links, metadata, diagrams, and final page checks are production tasks and will be included explicitly in the quote.

Do you guarantee rankings, backlinks, or press coverage?

No. I can make the work clear, useful, technically credible, and ready for discovery or outreach. Search rankings, editorial links, and media coverage depend on decisions outside a writer’s control.

Have a real brief?

Send the material you have. I’ll tell you what is missing and quote the work.

You do not need to polish the request first. The reader, source material, reviewers, deadline, and intended publication are enough to begin.

Discuss a writing project